Check out this recent article in the Contra Costa Times discussing the positive economic impact of the arts in Walnut Creek according a new Americans for the Arts study.

"Nonprofit arts and culture organizations netted the City of Walnut Creek $32,483,480 in direct expenditures, 865 full-time equivalent jobs, $19,621,000 in household income, $1,184,000 in local government revenue and $1,641,000 in state revenue, according to the report."

Benefits of Music Education

A study performed at the University of British Columbia emphasized that participation in music does not hamper achievement in other domains. "Widespread notion is that instructional time spent on music courses is 'wasted' because it takes away from time used for academic 'core' subjects and thus slows down students' progress in those courses. [However] our results imply that music participation benefits students in ways that are directly or indirectly linked to higher academic achievement in general. . . "